What is career coaching? Well, that is a great question. There’s a lot of confusion as to what the heck career coaching is. Defining it can be difficult, and defining what it isn’t is not much easier. So, what does a career coach do? Let’s find out…
What Career Coaching Is Not
Career coach is not career counselor. Now, there’s another term that might confuse people. Career counselling is a method-focused approach to functioning well in a specific job or company. Think about how you communicate, how to act, and how to fit in at a specific role. In that regard, career counselling is like personal therapy, at least to some level. Career counselling is about breaking down barriers that are holding you back from success. This is a totally separate, though somewhat related, activity connected to coaching. That said, it has its place in that career services world.
What Is Career Coaching?
Career coaching is an immensely valuable service you can take advantage of. Whereas career counselling is about breaking down barriers, career coaching is about lifting you up to your career ambitions. A career coach is about results. A good career coach will ask you questions about your future – what do you want to do with your career? Are there skills you want to learn? They may even ask the dreaded interview question: where do you see yourself in five years?
But that’s the point of a career coaching session: a low stakes meeting where a professional career services worker helps you become the best you can be in a professional setting. Their goal is to help you succeed. Career coaches meet you where you are. If you know where you want to end up, but aren’t sure how to get there – a career coach will help you out. Likewise, if you feel lost in a career, drowning in stress, anxiety, or fear of the dreaded Monday morning, a career coach can still help you.
A career coach’s questions will help you identify what the next steps in your career are. They will also help you identify what you are doing well, or how you can grow where you are, starting today. Each career coach is going to be a little different, but by and large, these are the skills career coaches use to help you achieve your professional goals.
Career coaching and career counselling are different services, but both have their place. The key is to identify what you need at the moment. If you think you’re faltering in your career, counselling will likely be the best first step. However, if you feel the urge to grow, perhaps career coaching should your number one stop.
